Tips from 52 Carl and bartamos are good ones. The voltmeter is your friend. You can check the ballast resistor, should be around 4, to 5 volts dropped across it. Easy check is from the ignition switch to the "hot" side. Should be 12 Volts to ground. From the side to the coil + terminal to ground, about 9 Volts. Both measurements with the points closed. On the coil - terminal with the points open, You should get close to the volts on the + side. Close the points and the - terminal should drop to 0 volts. With the jumper wire it should start even if the ignition switch is bad. It will start if the ballast resistor is bad. To check the condenser in with the points, turn off the ignition, open the points. Put the meter in the Ohms function and use the highest scale you have. Should be 100K. Put the meter on the - side of the coil, and ground. Watch the reading it should scale up to infinity. That is your meter charging the condenser. When it is charged, it will read open. If the reading is 0 ohms with the points open, you have a short in the wire from the - terminal to ground. Look at the plastic insulator and wire where it goes into the dizzy. You can fix this. Take one step at a time. Simple truth, problems are almost always simple, finding them can tax the brightest. Enjoy.
